Ignore claims of victory; wait for KPU's decision: Syafii

Former PP Chairperson Muhammadiyah Syafii Ma'arif called on the public not to get carried away with claims of victory in favor of certain candidates in the 2019 election, and to wait for the official vote count results from the General Election Commission (KPU).

"I think the claims are 'private' (unofficial), so they don't need to be heard," Buya Syafii told reporters after Friday Prayers at the Nogotirto Mosque in Sleman at his residence complex on Friday.

According to Syafii, even though there have been many quick vote counts conducted by various institutions, the contestants should not rush to claim victory or defeat before the official calculation results from the KPU, which will be announced in May.

"Even though there has been a quick count, it is just as a reference," said a member of the Steering Board of the Pancasila Ideology Development Board (BPIP).

"Whoever wins, we must accept it, and whoever loses must also accept it, and let us together maintain the integrity of the nation, national peace, diversity and pluralism, so that this nation is united to achieve the goal of independence, namely to uphold justice for all Indonesians," he said.

If the KPU's decision in May 2019 is honest and fair, and the implementation of the 2019 election proves to be peaceful, then according to the constitution, it must be recognized by all Indonesian people.

"In the constitution (KPU's decision), we should not speculate over who won and who lost before that," Syafii said.

EDITED BY INE